Truth or fiction?
How does the presence of this non-native bird compare to other UK bird species?
Do pheasants outweigh other birds?
YES, THIS IS TRUE in autumn when about 35 million common pheasants are released into the countryside, which is equivalent to a living biomass of 30,000 tonnes.
In contrast, according to a recent paper in the journal Biological Invasions, the breeding population of all UK birds is thought to be just shy of 160 million birds, calculated to weigh 24,000 tonnes. Put another way, these figures show that a single non-native species has 25 per cent more biomass than all other birds put together.
The number of pheasants is quickly whittled down, though not just by shooting – more than a third are either predated or scavenged, mainly by foxes. But the significant point, says co-author Tim Blackburn, is what effect the energy demands of this super abundant and relatively large bird are having on the rest of the British countryside.
“By putting all these pheasants into the environment, we are heavily changing the community structure of British birds,” he explains. “If they weren’t there, there would be food for other species. And there are knockon impacts on the animals that prey on them as well.”
But, despite academics highlighting this as far back as 2006, no one has ever attempted to analyse just what the effects are. One of the problems, Blackburn says, is that there are very few areas in lowland Britain without pheasants, so it would be difficult to do a controlled study.
It’s further complicated by the fact that, as the shooting industry often points out, habitat management for pheasants improves the environment for some species – one study found more warblers in woodland with pheasants, but fewer large-bodied beetles.
“It seems we have double standards when it comes to pheasants,” says Blackburn. “We worry about alien species coming into this country, and yet we let this one go in vast numbers. It comes down to economics – we are concerned about new ones because they may have negative consequences, but the shooting industry says its impact on the economy is positive.” James Fair
We worry about alien species coming into this country, and yet we let this one go in vast numbers.